Gunhild Margareta Hallin Ekerot (20 February 1931 – 9 February 2020) was a Swedish opera singer, composer and actress.[1][2]

Margareta Hallin
Hallin as Gilda in Rigoletto at the
Malmö City Theatre in 1968
Born
Gunhild Margareta Hallin Ekerot

(1931-02-20)20 February 1931
Karlskoga, Sweden
Died9 February 2020(2020-02-09) (aged 88)
Vantör, Stockholm, Sweden
Occupation(s)Opera soprano, composer, actress
Years active1955–2020
Spouse(s)Inge Boström (1951-1956)
Bengt Ekerot

Early life and debut

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Hallin was born on 20 February 1931, in Karlskoga.[1] She made her debut during her time as a student at the University College of Opera[A] in 1955 as Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville.[3]

Career

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As Tsu in the opera Tranfjädrarna at Blancheteatern, 1958

Hallin joined the Royal Swedish Opera as a full-time employee in 1956, where she performed in roles such as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss, the title role of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier by Strauss, Leonora in Verdi's Il trovatore, Amelia in Un ballo in maschera, the title role in Aida, and Gilda in Rigoletto.[4] Hallin was appointed Hovsångerska (Royal Court singer) along with Erik Saedén, in 1966, and was awarded the Jussi Björling Scholarship in 1970. Her last performance at the opera was in the title role of Cherubini's Médée.[4][5]

Hallin's voice has been described as a coloratura soprano. She was considered to have the talent required for the international scene, but she chose to stay in Sweden.[6]

Her opera roles in the 1950s to 1970s included the blind poetess in Karl-Birger Blomdahl's Aniara,[7][8] Anne Trulove in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, the title role in Verdi's La traviata, Therese in Lars Johan Werle's Drömmen om Thérèse,[9] and the Queen Mother in Georg Joseph Vogler's Gustaf Adolf och Ebba Brahe.[10][11] Hallin also performed in Glyndebourne, Florence, Vienna, Hamburg, Moscow, London and Copenhagen, as well as making a tour in the Soviet Union.[12]

In the mid-1980s, she started composing music.[12] Encouraged by composer Eberhard Eyser, she made her debut in 1986 with poems set to music. The poems were by Nils Ferlin, Harry Martinson, Werner Aspenström and Alf Henrikson – she performed a medley of these in the Drottningholm Palace Church.[13] She was elected as a member of the Swedish Society of Composers in 1990[4] and was awarded the honorary academic title of professors namn in 2001. In 2006, she received the Gunn Wållgren Award.

She set several works by August Strindberg to music, beginning with a chamber opera based on Fröken Julie (Miss Julie) in 1990. Miss Julie was staged at the Confidence Theatre in 1990, and restaged in 1994.[14] Hallin also composed music for Strindberg's works Den Starkare (The Stronger) which was performed in the Rotunda at the Royal Opera in Stockholm in 1991, and Ett drömspel (A Dream Play) in 1992.[13][14]

In Sundsvall in 2012, Hallin premiered a program, both read and sung, which she had composed based upon Strindberg's letters to Harriet Bosse. At its performance in Kramfors, the production was accompanied by a small exhibition of Hallin's paintings, including a portrait of Strindberg.[15]

Personal life

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Hallin was married twice. Her first marriage was to violinist Inge Boström from 1951 to 1956. The couple had a daughter, born in 1952.[2][16] Her second marriage was to Bengt Ekerot. Their son was born in 1966.[2]

Hallin died on 9 February 2020, at the age of 88.[17]

Awards and titles

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In plays

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Discography

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  • Sex kvinnoporträtt ur operans värld ("Six portraits of women from the opera world"), solo performance with Norrköpings symfoniorkester, EMI HMV 4E 061-34616.[30]
  • Great Swedish Singers. Bluebell ABCD 060.[31]
  • Svenska hovsångerskor ("Swedish choir of court singers"). EMI CMCD 6350. Svensk mediedatabas.[32]
  • Lieder. Strauss, Mahler, Mozart. Margareta Hallin. Rolf Lindblom, piano. Proprius PRCD 9151. Svensk mediedatabas.[33]
  • Rigoletto as Gilda in Verdi's opera. Live recording. BIS CD-296. (2 CDs).[34]
  • Tranfjädrarna ("The Twilight Crane") as Tsu in Sven-Erik Bäck's opera. Norrköpings symfoniorkester. with Olle Sivall, Uno Ebréus. Kammarkören, cond. Eric Ericson. Swedish Society Disciofil. SLT 33183. Grammis Award.[35]

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ University College of Opera was, at that time, part of the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm.

Citations

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  1. ^ a b "Margareta Hallin (Soprano) – Short Biography" (Press release). Bach Cantatas Website. Archived from the original on 24 December 2001. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Sveriges befolkning 1970 (CD-ROM v 1.04). Sveriges Släktforskarförbund. 2002.
  3. ^ Sørensen, Jansson & Eklöf 1993, pp. 160–169.
  4. ^ a b c Sørensen, Jansson & Eklöf 1993, pp. 229–230.
  5. ^ Sökresultat (in Swedish). Svensk Music. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  6. ^ Gedda, Gedda & Geddes 2003, p. 49.
  7. ^ "Aniara – en svensk operaklassiker" (in Swedish). SVT. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  8. ^ Blomdahl, Karl-Birger (1959). Aniara : en revy om människan i tid och rum : opera i 2 akter (7 scenbilder) efter Harry Martinsons versepos "Aniara". London: Schott & Co. Libris 1261304
  9. ^ "Kulturnytt special: Werle – Animalens, Tintomaras och Thérèses tonsättare". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 25 December 2007. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  10. ^ "The Rake's Progress" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  11. ^ "Hallin, Margaret: The Early Recordings (1955–1960)". Spotify. Archived from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  12. ^ a b Sørensen, Jansson & Eklöf 1993, pp. 150–161.
  13. ^ a b Sørensen, Jansson & Eklöf 1993, pp. 150–169.
  14. ^ a b "Margareta Hallin". Svensk Musik. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  15. ^ "Margareta Hallins djupa relation till August Strindberg". Allehanda (in Swedish). 29 November 2012. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  16. ^ Sveriges dödbok 1947–2006 (CD-ROM v 4.00) (in Swedish). Sveriges Släktforskarförbund. 2007.
  17. ^ "Operasångerskan Margareta Hallin är död". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 9 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  18. ^ Nyström, Kyhlberg-Boström & Elmquist 1996, p. 84.
  19. ^ a b Cummings, David M., ed. (1998). "Hallin, Margareta". International Who's Who in Music and Musicians Directory: in the classical and light classical fields; 1998/99. Cambridge: International Who's Who in Music. p. 260. ISBN 978-0948875922.
  20. ^ "Årets Thaliapris går till Koutsogiannakis". Kvällsposten (in Swedish). 8 October 2014. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016. See Tidigare Pristagare listing previous winners
  21. ^ "Thaliapristagare". Kvällsposten (in Swedish). 25 September 2009. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  22. ^ "Jussi Björling" (in Swedish). Stiftelsen Kungliga Teaterns Solister. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  23. ^ a b Holmquist, Åke. "Gunn Wållgrens Minnesfond" (PDF) (in Swedish). Royal Swedish Academy of Music. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  24. ^ a b "Margareta Hallin". www.mic.stim.se (in Swedish). Svensk Musik. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  25. ^ Sahlin, Björn. "Gullebarns vaggsånger (Heidenstam)" (in Swedish). Björn Sahlin. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  26. ^ Landström, Lars (18 February 2011). "En roll för en legend" (in Swedish). AB Allehanda. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  27. ^ Hägglund 2011, p. 388.
  28. ^ Szalczer 2012, p. 195.
  29. ^ "Taklagsöl av August Strindberg" (in Swedish). Strindberg's Intimate Theater. 2011. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  30. ^ "Sex kvinnoporträtt ur operans värld / Margareta Hallin; Norrköpings symfoniorkester" (in Swedish). Svensk mediedatabas. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  31. ^ "Uno Stjernqvist – tenor" (in Swedish). Svensk mediedataboas. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  32. ^ "Svenska hovsångerskor" (in Swedish). Svensk mediedatabas. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  33. ^ "Ständchen (op 17:2) /Sång för 1 röst & piano, 1885–87?. text: Adolf Friedrich von Schack/ / Margareta Hallin" (in Swedish). Svensk mediedatabas. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  34. ^ "Rigoletto / Giuseppe Verdi" (in Swedish). Svensk mediedatabas. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  35. ^ "Tranfjädrarna : opera / av Sven-Erik Bäck; regi: Bengt Ekerot; producent: Arne Arnbom; produktion: Sveriges radio; libretto: Bertil Malmberg" (in Swedish). Svensk mediedatabas. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.

Sources

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Further reading

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